Slippery Rock students go Shakespearean
“Some are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them.”
Students at Slippery Rock Area High School didn’t recite this line from Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at the Pittsburgh Public Theater Shakespeare competition in late February, but three students were finalists at the event for performing a scene from the play.
Jordan DiPippa, gifted support teacher at Slippery Rock Area School District, said 20 students in grades four through 12 participated in the competition that had 750 students from about 80 schools and art organizations.
Four high school students earned finalist awards — ninth grade student Isabelle DeMarco, 10th grade student Ellie Jedrzejewski and 11th grade student Grant Kingston in the upper division scene contest; and 12th grade student Angelia Kashiwagi in the upper division monologue contest for her “Hamlet“ monologue. Eight other students received honorable mentions at the competition.
DiPippa said her students have been working on their monologues and scenes since December, and many of them started before learning much about Shakespeare in school.
“At the beginning I had everyone sign up. I explain, ‘This is who Shakespeare was, this is what he's famous for,’” DiPippa said. “I walk through with each group, 'OK, so you read through it once, do you have any idea what's going on?’”
Pittsburgh Public Theater’s Shakespeare Monologue & Scene Contest began more than 20 years ago with just 75 students, and now has hundreds of students participate each year from across the region. Students are split into the lower division — grades four through seven — and upper division — grades eight through 12 — for judging purposes. Participating groups receive a free workshop and coaching session along with a contest T-shirt, according to Pittsburgh Public Theater’s website.
DiPippa said Slippery Rock Area School District has had students participate in the competition for at least the past six years, which is when she arrived at the school. She also said the preparation students go through to participate in the contest is a good starting point for aspiring actors, and the competition at a Pittsburgh theater demonstrates that there are acting opportunities outside of school.
“It really has to be them memorizing their lines and doing the work and showing their emotions,” DiPippa said of the contest. “Our kids want to get started next year already.”
